Making sure you and your loved ones will survive the storm is a year-round task that requires attention to your personal business, your family members, your home and your vehicles. It is not a task that can be done in just 24 hours, so start your planning now!
Complete a disaster plan BEFORE the chaos of an approaching hurricane to be sure you have time to do it right.
Do home improvements during the cooler days of the year.
Pack your Emergency Survival Kits before June 1st to be sure you have what you need.
Organize important papers so you can grab them quickly.
The information below and links to resources will assist you in your planning, but how well you do it is up to you. Take the time to prepare ahead, you'll be glad you did.
Make Sure You Have a Plan
The below links can help you create your own personal plan.
What To Do In the Workplace:
Be sure you know what to do when an evacuation order is issued during the work day. Both you and your employer should have a plan that is talked about in advance.
Things to do:
- Keep a list of emergency numbers at your worksite
- Have a family plan that assigns who picks up the children, other relatives or pets
- Select a meeting place in case you are unable to get home
- Be sure to tell your boss if you need to evacuate and where you are going
- Learn your employer’s policy about releasing employees and returning to work
- Learn your employer’s plans for securing your workstation and work supplies
- Ask if there is an emergency phone number to contact your employer after a storm
If you do not need to evacuate, offer to host a co-worker who must evacuate
Insurance Information:
Don’t wait another minute! Review
your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance
policy and review exactly what
coverage you have.
Ask yourself these four important
questions:
- What is my deductible?
- What is my hurricane deductible?
- Do I need flood insurance?
- Do I have enough coverage to
replace my home and belongings?
Homeowners should check with
their insurance agents to determine
what improvements could offer
discounts on their hurricane insurance
premium. Some companies offer rate
reductions for reinforcements to the
roof, garage, windows and doors.
Homeowners can find a great deal
of information about their insurance
policies by checking with the state’s
Department of Financial Services.
Call (800) 342-2762 or
visit www.fldfs.com 
National Flood Insurance Program
Claims Information
Medication Information:
 One of the most important things
to include in your emergency survival
kit is your prescription medications.
But, what happens when an
emergency is declared and your
insurance company claims it is too
early for you to get a refill?
Last year, the Legislature passed
the Emergency Prescription Refill
bill (Florida Statute 252.358 and
462.0275). This law requires all insurers
and managed-care organizations
to suspend refill-too-soon restrictions
when a patient seeks a refill in a county:
- currently under a hurricane
warning issued by the National
Weather Service; or
- declared to be under a state of
emergency in an executive order
issued by the Governor; or
- has activated its Emergency
Operations Center and its emergency
management plan.
This law also allows patients outside
of these areas to get an emergency 72-
hour refill if the pharmacist is unable to
readily obtain refill authorization from
the doctor. Please talk with your doctor
and pharmacist now about how this
new law can affect your prescriptions.
Make sure you are ready this hurricane
season. In addition to having a
supply of your medications on hand,
keep a list of each one you take, including
the name of the doctor who wrote
the prescription, the name of the drug,
dosage instructions and the name of
the pharmacy where you had it filled.
Important Documents: Document Checklist 
If you were ordered to evacuate from
your home for a hurricane, could you
easily and quickly collect all of your
important documents for transport?
Your important papers include everything
from your driver’s license to
your homeowner’s insurance policy.
By spending some time now, you can
ensure that you will have everything
you need if you must evacuate.
Personal papers to take with you:
- Driver’s license or personal
identification cards
- Important numbers and
emergency contacts
- Credit cards
- Medical records and blood type
- Prescription information (list of
medications, dosage, prescription
numbers, etc.)
- Doctors' name, address and
telephone number
- Cash for emergencies
- Bank account numbers
- List of savings and investments,
including CDs, stocks, bonds
and mutual funds
- Household inventory - either a
paper copy, videotape or
computer disk
- List of insurance policies with
name of company, type of policy
and policy number
- Copy of wills, trust documents
and living wills
- Titles for your house, car and
other property
- Birth, marriage, divorce, death
and adoption certificates
- Passports
- List of family advisors:
accountant, attorney, banker,
doctors, dentist, employer,
financial adviser, insurance
agents and religious leader
- Educational and military records
- Other special papers that would
be difficult or impossible to
replace if lost
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Your Home:
Preparing your home to withstand
high winds can mean the difference
between minor and major repairs after
a hurricane. That’s why it’s so important
to strengthen your home to resist high
winds. Some key tips:
- Check your garage door. If your
door needs replacing, look for a
reinforced, wind-rated model.
- Shutter your windows. Glass
can be broken by flying debris.
Protecting your windows can keep
storm winds and rain out. Duct
tape provides no protection. Check weather stripping and
caulking around windows and
doors, replacing if necessary.
- If your roof needs replacement,
a new one can be installed to
meet stronger building codes
adopted in 2002, which will better
protect your home.
- Research these online resources for additional home improvement information.
Windows
And Doors:
- Windows
and doors are particularly vulnerable to
wind and rain damage. Window films, tempered
glass and other products may not withstand
wind-borne debris felt during a hurricane.
Plywood: How
To Shutter Your Home  (30 minute video on how to shutter your windows
and doors...and how much it costs!)
 Don’t
risk long lines and limited supplies if
you plan to shutter with plywood. Buy and
cut early. - Use
a minimum of 5/8ths inch thick exterior
grade plywood to withstand flying debris.
- For
masonry buildings, use masonry screws that
cut their own thread in concrete, or use
lag shields inserted into predrilled holes.
Wood screws can be used for wood-framed
homes.
Hurricane
Shutters
Typically made of metal, vinyl
or polycarbonate, these shutters come in many
designs. Check options with a licensed installer
and be sure they meet the 2002 Florida Building
Code.
 Hurricane
Screens
Some of the newest options available are permanently
attached metal mesh screens or flexible woven
polypropylene netting. Both are approved for use
throughout Florida.
Roof:
- Your
home’s roof is the first line of defense against
rain. And, it is very vulnerable to a hurricane’s
fury. High wind can tear shingles, underlayment
and even the roof sheathing off.
- Before
a storm threatens, take a good look at your
roof. Are the shingles in good condition? Is
there any damage that you might need to have
repaired? Remember, any leaks you may already
have could be made worse by wind-driven rain
and the impact of storm debris.
- A
quick inspection of the underside of your roof
from inside the attic can also tell you a great
deal about its structure. Look along the rafters
or the tops of the roof trusses. Are there large
nails driven through the sheathing, not secured into
the framing? That could mean the roofers
misnailed the roof deck when they installed
it. One or two may be OK, but more than that,
and your roof’s strength could be compromised.
- If
you need to have your roof redone, be sure to
ask the roofer to renail your sheathing to ensure
it is properly secured, and specify wind-resistant
shingles.
Garage Door:
- Garage doors deserve extra attention because
of their large size. And, statistics prove that’s
true. According to the Federal Alliance for
Safe Homes (FLASH), about 80 percent of wind
damage in homes starts with wind coming through
the garage door.
- State
regulations mean stronger doors
Since 2002, Florida building codes have required
significantly stronger garage doors on all homes
in Pinellas County. If your garage door was
installed before 2002, call
the manufacturer to determine the strength of
the door. Or, have a building inspector
check the door to determine its wind-worthiness.
- For
safety’s sake, older garage doors should either
be replaced or retrofitted with more bracing.
Set Up A Safe Room:
FEMA websites on Saferooms:
- Safe Rooms Information
- Safe Roomm Plans
If
you don’t have to evacuate and plan to weather
a hurricane at home, set up a safe room for you
and your family in case your home is damaged.
This is also a good place to store emergency supplies,
important papers and battery-powered radios.
Make sure the room has a solid-core door with
heavy duty hinges for greater protection. Use
long screws to ensure the hinges are anchored
securely. Installing a deadbolt lock, like those
found on entry doors, will further help protect
you and your family.
Where your safe room should be located depends
upon how many levels are in your home or building.
- In
a one-story house, the ideal safe room is in
the center of your home with few or no windows.
- In
a two-story house, seek out an interior first-floor
room such as a bathroom, closet or space under
the stairs.
- In
a multiple-story building, go to the first or
second floors and take refuge in halls or other
interior rooms away from windows. Interior stairwells
and areas around elevators shafts are generally
the strongest parts of a building.
Mobile & Manufactured Homes:
 While mobile and manufactured homes are great places to call home, they are NEVER good shelters during a hurricane. Mobile and manufactured homes can be severely damaged from the hurricane-force winds and flying debris. This was proved true again during the storms of 2004 and 2005 when homes built after 1994, to the tougher standards, sustained damage when they were flipped off their foundations or damaged by flying debris. No matter the category of storm, whenever an evacuation order is given, all mobile and manufactured home residents must evacuate. Mobile and manufactured home residents need to have an evacuation plan in case a hurricane threatens. One word of caution – most mobile home park recreation centers are not rated to withstand high winds, either. Ask your park’s management what plans – if any – are in place for sheltering options and for evacuation notification.
Annually check your tie down and anchoring system:
- Look for possible rusting of anchors and connections.
- Tighten the straps if necessary.
- Add anchors and straps where possible.
Check for wood rot and termite damage at
connections, joists and trusses:
- Investigators have found that failures at these points
allowed air to penetrate the home’s air-tight envelope
and led to structure failure.
Click here for additional information.
 Condo owners should prepare
for an approaching storm:
If a hurricane sets its sights on Pinellas
County, condominium owners need to be ready to
weather the storm. Click here for more information.
Renters Need A Plan Too:
As a storm approaches, homeowners are urged to prepare their homes to withstand heavy winds. But, what should you do if you rent?
If you rent, here are some steps that you can take to prepare yourself for a hurricane:
- The first step in hurricane preparedness is to know your evacuation zone. Pinellas County government offers several outlets to locate your zone. Remember, be ready to evacuate when ordered.
- Prepare yourself for the possibilities of damage to your personal property. Flood insurance and renter’s insurance can help to replace your belongings should they be damaged. In conjunction with your insurance policy, take an inventory of your possessions to help during the recovery.
- Ask questions of your landlord. Will your landlord take steps to protect the windows? If not, you will need to find another place to ride out the storm, even if you live in a non-evacuation zone.
Just as with homeowners, you have a responsibility to create a personal hurricane plan. By finding out now what you will need to do, you may save your life when a storm threatens.
Yard:
Getting your yard ready to weather
the storm can keep you and your
home safe. High winds can turn
even the heaviest items into deadly
projectiles that can break through
your windows, doors and even walls.
To prepare:
- Properly prune trees and shrubs
well before any storms threaten.
Do not leave piles of branches that
can become missiles in high winds.
- Keep your gutters and down
spouts clear and in good repair.
- Replace rock mulch with
shredded bark.
- When a hurricane warning is
issued, bring in all yard items
such as furniture, toys, bird
baths/feeders and barbecue grills.
- Do not drain your pool. Super
chlorinate the water and turn off
all electricity to the pool for the
duration of the storm.
Vehicles:
During a weather emergency, you
will rely on your vehicle to get supplies, provide a cool blast of air-conditioning
and recharge your cell phone.
Vehicle maintenance tips:
- Check your tires, belts, hoses,
filters, oil and air-conditioning.
- Make sure you have jumper
cables, road flares or reflectors,
a first aid kit and a can of
non-flammable inflatable tire
repair compound.
- Have car chargers for phones,
laptops and/or a small power
inverter to convert the car’s
DC battery power into a AC plug.
- Pack an empty gas can in case you
need to get more gasoline.
- Remove all non-essential items
from your vehicle to keep the interior
space ready for evacuation items.
 Boats:
Boat owners need to have a plan to secure and protect their boats from hurricanes. See boat safety page.
Checklist - Printable
Retrofit Guides and Info:
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